Improvement in the



A. N. HENDERSON. YE AND NAY APPARATUS.

/ Patented July 22, 1850.

v4: NORRIS PETERS co., wasuma'mu. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. N. HENDERSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRO-CHEMlCAL PRltlTiNG IN COLORSFOR TAKING AYES AND NOES.

Spct-ilic-ition forming part of Letters Patent No. 7,5 2], dated July2271650 To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT N.HENDERSON of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have-invcnted certain Apparatus for Taking the Ayes and Noes by GalvanicElectricity and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clcar,and exact description of the principle or character which distinguishesit from all other things beforeknown,

\Vhcn used for the purpose of taking the ayes and noes in a legislativeassembly I employ metallic types having-duplicate sets of the membersnames, one set withthe word Aye and the other with Nay attached to eachname. On the desk of each member are a'pair ot'keys, which strike onstuds which communicate by wires with the types at the speakers desk.Over the types is placed a a piece of paper chemically prepared withsome substance which is decomposed. by the action of a current ofelectricity and becomes colored or discolored in theplaces where thecurrent passes through, orit may be colored previously and be bleachedby the action of the electricity.

The desks of the members are represented in the drawings by a at, havingthe keyes Zr and sin a convenient situation. These keys are attached atdto the wire a, colored rod, which leads to the battery, and by pressingon any one of the keys 0 a connection is made with a wire, it, coloredblue, which leads from th e members desk to the types 1) having themembers name with the word Aye annexed; or by pressing the other key, 0,aconnection 1s made in a similar manner 'with the name having the word iNay annexed.

is placed apiece of sensitive paper, and on it. a metallic plate, g, theplate being connected with the opposite pole of the battery.

When it is required to take a vote a piece of the prepared paper is laidon the types and I the plate placed over them. Each member then toucheseither the Aye or Nay key as he pleases to vote. If in the allirmative,he presses the key 1) down on the stud f, and thus forms a communicationthrough the wire it. with the types 7., representing his name and theword Aye at the speakers desk. The

passage of the electricity through the paper from the types to the plateg, which is con nected with the other pole'of the battery, stains thepaper and gives a perfect impression of the name with Aye annexed to it.If he touches the other key, a, the types in the other column are actedon by the current passing through the stud q and the wirem, coloredgreen, and the name with Nay is printed on the paper. In this manner thevotes of the whole can be taken simultaneously and the speaker have aprinted list of the members with their votes annexed to their names.

The several wires 6 are joined to one main wire, 12, which leads to thebattery.

In order to make a perfect contact with the whole surface of the types70 and p and the plate 9 with the paper interposed, I cause the plate topress on them by the springs I, whichalso serve to make the connectionwith the battery through the wires 0. To do this more perfectly I alsoset the types It and p on an i elastic bed of india-rubber or springs m.

s and t are screw-cups which connect the wires a and o with the battery.

The paper should be damp when used. Among the various substances whichmay be used for preparing the paper for the above purposes are thefollowing, viz: A saturated solution of cyanide'of potassium in water,to every twenty parts of which add one part of sulphuric or nitric acid,which gives a green color when acted on by the electricity. The acid maybe omitted, but the impression is not quite so permanent. A saturatedsolution of sulphate of copper gives a black impression. The same withthe addition of cyanide of po tassium until the liquid becomes clear,which gives a greenish impression. A strong solu tion of cyanide ofpotassium with chloride of silver gives a green impression, All theabove leave the paper white until acted upon by the galvaniccurrent.About twenty parts of a weak solution of prussiate of potassa with oneof sulpluric acid colors the paper slightly and gives adeqr-blueimpression by the electicity.

\Vith paper saturated with the above solutions the changes are madewhich prod'nce the alteration of color, according to the nature of thesolution, entirely within the paper or other fabric Without acting onthe metal of the types or plate. To prevent such action I prefer to makethem of platinum, gold, or other metal,

which will resist corrosion by the substances employed to prepare thepaper.

It is obvious that this invention can be applied to many other purposesbesides that of taking ayes and nays, such as printing, telegraphing,85c.

vInstead of using paper previously prepared by a chemical solution, Ifind that the paper can he used merely damp in the parts where thecurrent is to pass through. This I do by placing over the dry paper,when laid on the types, a piece of thick card or similar substancesaturated with moisture, and above this a metallic plate connected withthe battery. The paper is then acted on by touching the keys, as beforedescribed, and the impression,

though invisible when the paperis taken out, becomes apparent uponapplying a proper chemical solution.

Having thus fully described my invention. what I claim as new therein,and for which I desire to secure Letters Patent, is,-

1. The mode, substantially as herein described, of imprinting words,letters, figures, &c., upon paper or other fibrous substances by placingthe paper or other substance (either chemically prepared or not, asabove set forth) between two surfaces of a metal which is not acted onby the substances employed, on one of which the letters or figures areraised by passin g a current of galvanic electricity through theprepared material, substantially as above described.

2. Passing the electric current between metallic surfaces, as abovedescribed, through damp paper otherwise unprepared, and afterwardapplying a chemical solution, by which the efl'eet of the electricitybecomes visible whenever it has passed through the paper, for thepurposes above describedtelegraphing, &c.

ALBERT N. HENDERSON.

Witnesses:

EDW'ARD EVERETT, WM. GREENOUGH.

